Jonny’s epic adventure raises £2,500 for charity

Kathryn Wylie

Despite 23 punctures, one bout of serious sunburn and temperatures ranging from 38 degrees to freezing, Kelso man Jonny Wolf has completed his 3800km solo cycle across South America.

The 25-year-old adventurer arrived back in Kelso last week having raised £2504 for Macmillan Cancer Support and successfully cycling from Chile to Bolivia unaided.

Jonny Wolf's cycling from Chile to Bolivia.

His five-week adventure saw him cover on average 130km per day from Puerto Montt in Chile, North through Santiago and over the border into Bolivia, finishing in La Paz, in aid of the charity which helped his late granddad, Jim Wolf, through his cancer treatment.

Outdoor enthusiast Jonny was responsible for carrying all his own supplies, planning his routes and resting places but says the generosity of the Chilean helped no end.

He said: “Along the way I camped in many different places, the Atacama Desert blessed me with a sky full of stars every night and it was possible to just through the sleeping bag out on a few occasions and sleep on the beach with no tent.

“But the generosity and kindness of the Chilean people was great.

Kelso adventurer Jonny Wolf.

“One time a random mountain biker come along to cycle beside me on the road and then invited me back to his home for dinner with his family. Later on some diving instructors in Los Molles let me camp in their garden and invited me for a BBQ with them.”

However, the physically and mentally demanding route and climate provided plenty of other ups and downs.

Jonny added: “In the Atacama did I find myself running low on water after an unforeseen 30km hill climb that took six hours to cycle and after seven litres of water drank and no town for another 90km I had to start holding out my bottle to passing cars on a road that wasn’t very busy.

“I managed to scrap another five litres of water, a can of Monster, a small can of beer, bottle of Powerade and a pack of cookies which kept me going as I found myself camping at the top of the mountain beside the Paranal Observatory at 2600m above sea level.

“It was another cold night but the stars where unbelievable.”

“The Chilian and Bolivian scenery was unbelievable, nothing like I’ve seen before and any downs on the trip were definitely made into positives with the views that I encountered along the way and friendly people I met.

“I can’t thank people enough for their kindness for such a special cause.”